Noel Gallagher is showing off some guitars from his own private collection at special exhibition opening in a few weeks time.
To celebrate 150 years of Epiphone instruments having played a key role some of music and pop culture’s biggest moments, a brand-new exhibition is set to be unveiled at the British Music Experience (BME) in Liverpool later this month, and with the former Oasis guitarist being one of the brand’s most-loyal artists, it’s only right that he be honoured.
The Manc music legend is lending four guitars from his own private Epiphone collection to the new exhibition that bears his name.
Among the guitars on show at the temporary exhibition will be Gallagher‘s Epiphone Riviera with Bigsby from the Defintley Maybe album cover, as well as his Epiphone Frontier FT110 used on the (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? recording.
Noel admitted that he started playing Epiphones “because of The Beatles”.
“I didn’t know anything about guitars then,” he continued.
“They looked good, they felt good, and I could make them sound good. I’m a songwriter, not a guitar player. You know, that’s my thing, so I’m not one of those people who can sit in a guitar shop and play lots of things.
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“I will literally play an E chord, and if it had sounded great and felt good, I would have just said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take it.'”
Speaking ahead of the exhibition opening in a few weeks time, Kevin McManus, who is the Head of UNESCO City of Music for Liverpool, said: “Epiphone 150 celebrations landing in Liverpool is a great coup for the city.
“The story of the brand is fascinating and sits perfectly at the British Music Experience [as] the space the Museum is housed in is the old marble clad passenger halls of The Cunard Building and it was the very space where the physical exchange between America and the UK started with the back and forth of people but also music and culture on the vast passenger ships.
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Noel Gallagher is showing his private guitar collection off at a new exhibition / Credit: Epiphone
“Epiphone tells the story of an immigrant family reaching the shores of the USA and living the American dream, and this dream crossed the pond again and forms an important historical part of our music scene from BritPop to the Beatles.
“We are thrilled for the BME and Liverpool to host this line up of iconic guitars.”
To celebrate the launch of the exhibition, the BME and Gibson are giving away 150 tickets to the launch night on Wednesday 27 September for FREE, and they’re being offered on a first-come-first-served basis from the BME website here.
You can catch Epiphone 150th Anniversary: Featuring the Guitars of Noel Gallagher at the British Music Experience in Liverpool when it officially opens on Wednesday 27 September.
The guitars will be on show until the exhibition closes on 14 January 2024.
Featured Image – Epiphone
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The K’s book Castlefield Bowl for their biggest ever headline show
Danny Jones
High-flying indie rock outfit, The K’s, are set to play a landmark headline show right here in Manchester, as the local lads have been confirmed as the first act for Sounds of the City 2026.
The cult favourite working class heroes from down the road in Newton-le-Willows have had an incredible couple of years, climbing their way up the ranks around the North, playing bigger venues and festivals up and down the country, and now they’re on a fully-fledged European tour.
It’s been brilliant to watch their rise thus far, and we couldn’t be more buzzing to hear that they’ve booked none other than Castlefield Bowl for the single largest standalone gig of their careers to date, and you can bet The K‘s army will be out in full force.
Announced alongside another massive outdoor venue this week, the toast of Earlestown will be one of several artists set to play the Sounds of City (SOTC) concert series next year.
We are absolutely BUZZING to announce our biggest ever headline show to date at Castlefield Bowl, Manchester on 03.07.26 as well as a huge headline show @ThePieceHall , Halifax on 08.08.26!Tickets for both shows will be on general sale this Friday 19th September 2025 at 9.30am 🩷 pic.twitter.com/lft55eeEbG
Confirming Castlefield Bowl alongside the magnificent Piece Hall in Halifax for summer 2026, the four-piece will make their way from Merseyside, not only down the M62 to Manchester but over to Yorkshire for what is one of the most stunning outdoor venues in the country.
These two incredible atmospheric amphitheatres are not only incredible spaces for live music, but in the case of our very own city centre stunner, Castlefield Bowl boasts a capacity of approximately 8,450 – making it comfortably The K’s biggest show yet.
Speaking of Kendal, we were in the field ourselves when the group got to revel in the moment of announcing their second album, Pretty On The Internet, had reached number one just in time for their main stage set.
Official artist presale access will be available this Wednesday, 17 September from 9:30am by signing up to their mailing list, but general admission tickets for both dates will go live at 9am the following Friday (19 Sep).
Once again, we can only say well done on the number one; having been there to discuss their debut record’s release while they threw plastic balls around a room, we couldn’t be more gassed to see how far they’ve come.
Featured Images — Press shot (supplied)/Audio North
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Lewis Capaldi announces huge outdoor Manchester gig at Wythenshawe Park next summer
Emily Sergeant
Lewis Capaldi has announced a run of huge outdoor shows next summer, and he’ll be stopping off here in Manchester.
After unprecedented demand saw one of the biggest-ever rushes for tickets across both pre-sale and general sale earlier this year, Lewis Capaldi is currently blazing through a triumphant 200,000-ticket sold out 17-date UK arena tour as we speak – and is set to take to the Co-op Live stage for two huge Manc gigs this weekend.
But he shows no signs of slowing down soon, as he has today announced his biggest ever UK and Ireland headline gigs for next summer.
Wythenshawe Park is fast becoming one of Manchester‘s go-to outdoor gig venues, and Lewis’s visit next summer is only helping the reputation, as the Scottish 28-year-old will be headlining the park for one night only next August.
The announcement of the run of summer outdoor shows comes amid Lewis’s first return to touring in two years following his triumphant Glastonbury 2025 return after an extended break to take care of his mental health break, and following the release of his comeback track ‘Survive’, which shot to the top of the UK charts and became the fastest-selling single of 2025.
The response to Lewis’s current tour has been ‘electric’, according to critics, who have been unanimous in their praise for him.
Prior to his comeback, Lewis played a run of Scottish warm up shows in May that saw him return to the stage as a guest of mental health charity CALM, in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Week.
Lewis Capaldi – Summer Outdoor Gigs 2026
Wednesday 24 June – Marlay Park, Dublin
Friday 26 June – Thomond Park, Limerick
Sunday 28 June – TX Maxx presents Live at Powderham, Exeter
Tuesday 30 June – Blackweir Fields, Cardiff
Saturday 4 July – American Express presents Roundhay Festival, Leeds
Saturday 11 July – American Express presents BST Hyde Park, London
Thursday 20 August – Vital, Belfast
Saturday 22 August – Wythenshawe Park, Manchester
With no pressure and no level of expectation, the shows allowed Lewis the space to gauge his comfort and emotional response before returning to the spotlight – a move which ended up proving nothing short of a triumph.
Lewis Capaldi will be coming to Wythenshawe Park in Manchester on Saturday 22 August 2026, and tickets go on pre-sale this Thursday 18 September at 9am, before general sale commences the following day (Friday 19 September), again at 9am.
Emily Sergeant -
14th September 2023 
